south coast stay

Greetings!

It's been quite some time hasn't it? Amongst other things we have been down the coast. Enjoying a little time away from school or work and taking advantage of the quieter coastal season. We had a pleasant time of coastal drives (not so fun almost getting bogged, but it did make Daniel's day), a little time on the beach and wandering around the towns. Our first cinema visit in years as a family went surprisingly well with our littlest person, and they all enjoyed the movie. Of course there was quite a bit of knitting, reading (on my part) and movie watching. Not to mention the ridiculous amount of cheese we ate (so good!), the prawns and scallops we prepared at the holiday house "home" and dinner at the local Italian restaurant. We enjoyed pizza and pasta for the first time in months, and I have to say, it was entirely worth it.

The dreaded chore of unpacking is almost finished (wish I could say the same about the washing!) and now we are settling back into the routine of school holidays, or rather lack of. Yes, back to real life now.


Wishing you all a wonderful rest of the week.

our day in Melbourne

Did you know that you can actually camp in Melbourne? Neither did I. But it seems you can, in a relatively pleasant caravan park just 9km from the city. Overshadowed by one of those giant electricity poles merely metres away, I joked that it was our Eiffel Tower view.

We had promised Luca a visit to the Eureka Tower, and it turned out to be the highlight of his trip. I was the only one who had been to Melbourne before, and that was many years ago, so it was an entirely new experience for everyone else.

We nervously caught the tram in (where I spied a young woman knitting, and wondered if she had a blog), got lost many times (and we must have really looked lost as a kind lady approached us and offered directions), stumbled upon interesting buildings and laneways, strolled along the river and Luca got to see his tower. A little weary at the end of the day (especially considering I carried Violet and Daniel had the nappy bag full of everyone's drink bottles), we happily stumbled upon an unassuming little Italian restaurant where we ate the most delicious handmade ravioli ever.

It was quite an experience. For those of us that live in the country, it is so far removed from our everyday reality, but an exciting and interesting place nonetheless. With great coffee.



We quite like Melbourne.

walhalla

One of the highlights of our trip was visiting the little town of Walhalla, nestled in a steep valley, and rich in gold mining history, it was almost like stepping back in time. Daniel fell in love with the place, and I suspect he would move there tomorrow if he could!

We arrived quite late in the evening. Rain was just about to set in for the night, and we were tired from driving. After an enquiry at the hotel we managed to get ourselves a little cottage for the night. It was our big splurge for the holiday, and in the midst of all that camping it felt like quite a luxury. Perched on the edge of a steep mountain, with the view of the valley covered in gentle rain, it was beautifully cozy. Of course the next two nights spent there we went back to roughing it at the campsite.

There were many (steep) walks to do, which we somehow managed, old mines to see and a historic train ride. The steep cemetery and the cricket oval at the very top of the mountain were also highlights.

This is what we love about our trips. Discovering little gems of places, that are not on the regular tourist routes, places with a soul, steeped in history (literally) and one where you get a sense of community.

It is most definitely one of those places we would love to visit again.

Do you have a favourite little town that you love to visit?

nice to be home

 

Well, it is nice to be back. Nice to be home. Nice to be sleeping in my (soft) bed, settling back into home life and using my coffee machine once again. It is also nice to be back in this little space again.

On Friday we arrived home from a two and a half week camping holiday in Victoria. In our camper trailer, as in our last big trip. There was a lot of driving to do, a lot of set ups and pack ups, but so much to see that we hadn't seen before. We thoroughly enjoy our trips to Victoria  with so many fascinating and beautiful places to visit.

From the Mornington Peninsula we (including car and camper) caught the ferry to Queenscliff. It was the kids first ferry ride and so was pretty exciting for them. I think I was just a little excited too. After a few days in Queenscliff, we headed off to do the Great Ocean Road, something none of us had seen before. Many parts were breathtaking and almost surreal, though there were certainly some crowds.

From beautiful Port Fairy to Melbourne, to the quaint little old mining town of Walhalla. Back home via the Great Alpine Road, with some days spent in Omeo and Bright.

Some of the camping was free, but most of it was in caravan parks, this proving to be the most convenient way to find accommodation late in the afternoon with three tired children, and also quite handy for the inevitable laundry visits. We would stay a few nights in each destination, although there was a lot of moving around this trip which is not always the best way to travel with a two year old. I think next time we may be better seeing a little less, but seeing more of each place.

Holidays, while being wonderfully refreshing and giving you chance to see new places, and meet interesting people along the way, truly do make you appreciate coming home.

home again

garden c/o my mother and father in law

Home again. We've been up and down the coast, spending several days in both Bermagui and Kiama and then through the highlands visiting family for the past week. We thoroughly enjoyed the company, the coastal air, the beach swimming and the wonderful food and hospitality. But it is a good thing to arrive home safely from all the crazy traffic and to sleep in ones own bed.

Since we've been back it's been too hot here to do anything else than laze around indoors. The grass is more dead than we've ever seen it before. A few of the fruit trees are suffering. We've had our first ant infestation indoors. The fire warning signal went off twice yesterday. But the wind blew the fire in the opposite direction.

So we're bracing for more hot weather in the coming days. Hoping that the garden can cope with the stress of the heat. Hoping that the nearby fires stay under control. Hoping that we don't all drive each other mad in this heat.

And you? How has your week been? I'm hoping to catch up on a little blog reading today. Though I must say I feel as if I have been absent for quite some time. My blogging feels a little rusty and my fingers feel awkward on the keyboard.

Hoping that you are all staying safe, and especially those near the frightening Tasmanian fires right now. Stay safe friends.

weekending

On Sunday morning we forewent the usual pancakes in favour of a rather unhealthy breakfast of  panettone, and a chocolate chip one at that. Reminding me of a typical breakfast at my mother in laws, minus the nutella (and of which deprivation I was reminded by my kids, and husband). But it did go down pretty well with a good strong coffee.

Although there was much to do at home, as there always is, we went for a drive into town. Our small town was buzzing with the sound of live music and passing through motorbikes. So we grabbed some coffees and drinks at one of our favourite coffee shops, and parked ourselves on the provided mild crates and folded coffee sacks to listen to some folksy local talent.

Before we headed home for a busy afternoon of jobs, we stopped at the park. I'm not a huge fan of parks, but they're something you can't really avoid when you have kids. Whether they're two or ten.

Did you notice Violet's little dress? Craving a quick little sewing project on the weekend I made my first pillowcase dress. I followed this easy tutorial, using a vintage pillowcase, sheeting and  a little quilting cotton for the pockets.


How was your weekend? I do hope it was a good one.

the history of your place

I've been reading another book lately. In fact I can't seem to get enough of it, and I'm finding it to be one of the the most fascinating books I've ever read. It is a humble locally bound book about the history of our little village and the surrounding area. I've always been enthusiastic about history, it being one of the few subjects I actually enjoyed at school. But how very interesting to find a book full of eyewitness reports about the places I pass every day and the very human stories behind them.

Our valley and the surrounding farms have a rich and colourful history. At one stage filled with little mud huts and a few grander homesteads, inns and sawmills to name a few. Some of which are still lived in today, and some with nothing but a chimney being the only reminder that people lived out their lives here.

It has always been a harsh climate, and the first settlers struggled with storms, flood, fire and drought. Who would have known that there was a foot of snow at christmas many years ago? That one storm the water rushed down the very hill that we live on? There were many drownings and horse accidents. There was the scary influenza epidemic and diptheria. Ghost stories and bushrangers. Life could be very hard. But they must have been a resilient lot, and despite tragedy being far more common, many people said they were also very good years. Entertainment in the form of picnics, local balls, music and horse racing. There was a true community spirit.

In a practical sense there is a lot of useful information on what was grown to sustain this little community. There were several dairies (all of which are long gone), there was a lot of potato growing and during the war there was much growing of these potatoes, as well as carrots and peas to sell to the army. (I'd always thought potatoes grew particularly well in the soil here).

I learned about the local wells. How the one behind us sometimes ran dry. (Which makes me wonder how a bore here would perform?)  How our neighbour's well was the coldest in the village and how they used to store the butter from the dairy down there.

Walking past the old inn the other day, which has been a house for many years, the lady that owns it stopped her gardening for a chat. Owned outside the original family for some time, it has been bought back by a direct descendent and being lovingly restored. Before I knew it I was being shown around this fascinating old building, shown old fireplaces and black and white photos. There was a patch of plaster worn away revealing the original mud bones underneath.

I feel learning all this has led me to a greater appreciation of the land we live on. When you have a sense of who came before you there is new respect and gratitude. An awareness that our lives are fleeting in the scheme of things, but our legacy may remain around for future generations.

If you haven't read up on your local history, I would encourage you to do so. These books may not be easy to find, but most towns will have one. The local historical society or museum, the library or local book shops are a good start. I do believe that country or city, there is so much to learn about the history of the place we call home, and those that lived upon it's ground before us.



Do you enjoy reading about history? Have you read about your local history before? What have you discovered about your local past?

out and about - canberra

Next month Luca will be ten. Ten! I can't quite believe that my baby boy will soon be in double digits. It doesn't seem like a decade ago that I was just 23, attending midwives appointments, excitedly washing newborn sized blue clothes and putting up by expanded feet (that never did go quite back to their pre baby size) all during one of the pleasantest, balmy Springs that I can remember.

After a rather large party last year, and no real desire (on the parenting end) to repeat the experience, we asked Luca what he would like to do for the day.

So that's how we ended up spending a day out in our nearest city, catching the lift up to the viewing platform of Telstra Tower. It was the height of excitement for this tower obsessed boy of ours. From lego tower building, to memorising heights and statistics, to drawing comparison graphs, it is definitely one of his biggest hobbies.

Last stop was an impromptu visit to Cockington Green, which all, even little Violet, seemed to enjoy. It seems very like how I remembered it as a four year old, and as an adult I enjoyed the tranquil gardens and quaint little English cottages. It seems you never really grow out of some things.

Which is really one of the best things about these kind of days. Being out and about and seeing interesting things that you don't see everyday, you start to relive some of that childhood spark and excitement, and see things fresh through their eyes.